When people talk about hidden gems, they mean places like the new Barrel of Monks brewery.

Just north of Glades Road and west of Congress Avenue in the forgotten commercial areas of Boca Raton there is a secret waiting amid an endless landscape of beige warehouses and office buildings.

Drive far enough into them — Hint: look for the food truck — and you’ll be rewarded with Boca’s first full-scale production brewery and tasting room, which also happens to be the first in Florida to focus solely on Belgian-style beers.

Outside its just black letters against a nondescript beige building. But past the darkened glass door, it’s a tasting room to rival any in South Florida.

Barrel of Monks is the first Florida brewery to specialize with an all-Belgian-style lineup of beers, such as the light jasmine wheat bear and a hoppier black saison. (Carlos Frías/The Palm Beach Post)

Chandeliers and Edison lights illuminate a space dressed in rustic wood, marble counters, burgundy leather banquettes — a warm and comfortable tasting room that invites you to sit down for a beer or three.

Barrel of Monks, started by three longtime Boca Raton residents and friends — two of whom are full-time radiologists — had its grand opening March 28. One of the owners, Dr. Bill McFee, estimated that more than 1,000 people attended, including representatives from established craft beer breweries throughout Florida, such as Tampa’s Cigar City and Oakland Park’s Funky Buddha, and upstarts such as Broward’s 26 Degrees and Bangin’ Banjo.

“The feedback on the beer was great,” McFee said. “It was a good turnout, people were well-behaved. And the beer was flowing.”

What makes Belgian beers different from American- and English-style ales are the strains of yeast they use, which impart a wider array of flavors that range from floral and fruity to pungent.

On a Sunday afternoon after the grand opening, a dozen or so visitors visited the taproom. Because of Florida laws, the brewery cannot serve food, but several ordered food from the food trucks that set up shop symbiotically while others ordered delivery.

Ten beers were on tap, as shown on an electronic menu board that also shows feeds from guests’ Instagram, Twitter, Four Square and Untappd (beer reviews) social media posts. And it also had indicators to show when a keg is running low, particularly important to beer aficionados who come in search for special release beers made is small quantities.

Ten beers and select special releases are regularly on tap at Barrel of Monks. (Carlos Frías/The Palm Beach Post)

On this day, we sampled six beers: a Belgian trippel, a quad, a Belgian pale ale, a stout, a black saison and a jasmine wheat beer. A tasting flight of four four-ounce pours costs $10, and allows guest to try different styles.

All of the beers were true to their style, ranging from low-alcohol versions such as the wheat, the single and dubbel (from about 3 to 5 percent alcohol by volume). To the higher alcohol content beers such as the trippel, the quad (at 10 percent alcohol by volume) and a limited-release stout at 10.5 percent ABV.

McFee promises other Belgian styles, such as sour beers and fruity lambics, are in the works.

The actual brewing room, which boasts a gleaming, state-of-the-art 20-barrel system, is open for tours.

No, the brewery may not be much to look out from the outside. But inside, everyone from office drones seeking a happy-hour respite to Belgian beer aficionados will find something to explore in a cool, comfortable setting